Banana legs key facts:
The very productive Banana legs tomato is an ancient heirloom cocktail-type variety. It is most productive at the peak of the summer. Native to South America, it produces small fruits (1½ to 2½ ounces, or 45 to 75 g) which are yellow and rather elongated, growing in clusters of 10 to 20 fruits. This tomato has a soft flesh with a citrus-y taste. It also only sports very few seeds, which makes it perfect for summer tossed salads. Some varieties are more orange in color.
| Botanical name | Solanum lycopersicum |
|---|---|
| Common name | Banana legs tomato |
| Family | Solanaceae |
| Type | fruit vegetable |
| Height | 6 feet (1.50 m) |
| Planting distance | 20 to 24 inches (50 to 60 cm) |
| Exposure | full sun |
| Soil | cool, healthy, rich, soft |
| Sowing | Early spring-mid-spring |
| Planting | late spring |
| Harvest | Midsummer to early autumn |
From seed tray to salad bowl, the Banana legs tomato follows a tight timetable. Here is what happens when, and what to check at each step.
| Stage | When | What to look for |
|---|---|---|
| Sowing | Early spring to mid-spring, around 68°F (20°C) | Seeds a quarter-inch deep, moist mix and good light |
| Germination | 7 to 10 days after sowing | Very short lead times, so seedlings appear quickly |
| Planting out | Around late spring, after the last frost date | Seedlings 5 to 6 inches (12 to 15 cm) tall |
| Harvest | Midsummer to early autumn, 4 to 5 months after sowing | Pick each fruit only when perfectly ripe |
Miss the frost threshold and the whole schedule slips, since this plant has no hardiness at all.
A frost-vulnerable plant, banana legs sowing needs to take place in a warm environment, anytime from Early spring to mid-spring, with temperatures of around 68°F (20°C).
Germination lead times are very short: on average, 7 to 10 days after sowing.
Count back six to eight weeks from your local last frost date to time the sowing.
Pale, stretched stems signal too little light, not too little water.
When potting on, bury the stem deeper than it sat before, since tomatoes root freely along a buried stem.
Transplant to the ground once the “last frost date” threshold has passed, generally sometime around late spring. At this stage, your Banana legs tomato seedlings should be about 5 to 6 inches tall (12 to 15 cm).
Space each Banana legs plant by around 20 to 24 inches (50 to 60 cm).
Not a hardy plant at all, the Banana Legs tomato in our temperate climates is only grown as an annual, like most other types of tomato. Settle it down in non-scorching full sun, in soil that’s preferably light, replete with organic matter, and cool. In cooler regions, best grow this tomato under the cover of a greenhouse.
Mulch at the base of your plants will help keep the soil cool while simultaneously hindering weeds. In case of heat spells, water your plants often. Early morning or evening is best. Water only at the foot of the plant, without getting any leaves wet: this will prevent diseases from appearing.
The Banana Legs tomato is vulnerable to downy mildew and to powdery mildew.
Your Banana Legs tomato fruit harvest spans from Midsummer to early autumn, more or less 4 to 5 months after sowing. Harvest the fruits as you need them, when you notice they’re perfectly ripe.
Read also: How to collect tomato seeds
The dense, juicy and acid-free flesh of the Banana Legs tomato is a match made in Heaven for summer tossed salads. The yellow color of its golden fruits brings color to your dishes.
On top of this, this particular tomato does great in all kinds of sauces, and even as a candied fruit.
Banana Legs tomatoes are mild rather than acid-free, so follow the standard advice for all tomatoes and add bottled lemon juice or citric acid to each jar before water-bath canning.
Few seeds and dense flesh mean the sauce thickens quickly.
If you would rather cook these elongated tomatoes without skins, score the base, dip them in boiling water until the skins loosen, then plunge into ice water and slip them off.
